Thursday

Visiting Half Moon Bay California

In October Brawn and I went to visit friends in beautiful Northern California.  

While the purpose for the trip wasn't necessarily to tour the sights, a person can't hardly help but see a few landmarks along the way.

Visiting Half Moon Bay California, Bliss-Ranch.com

So armed with my trusty cell phone camera I snapped some places worth mentioning.  

Be warned:  This post might include more food and beverage than sights, because a gals gotta eat!  (This also explains how I keep my girlish figure eating fried and fast foods).

Our first stop after an airplane flight is always for something quick that we can't get at home.  

Now I'm not looking to start the whole what burger is better debate, but we happen to like In-N-Out Burger and we can't get those in Minnesota.  I proclaimed many years ago if we could, I'd want to be the person who built the first one.

Visiting Half Moon Bay California In-N-Out Burger, Bliss-Ranch.com

This photo is not however of our first burger leaving the airport, nope we made a quick pass through on our way over the bridge, and if you are keeping track that would mean we had an In-N-Out Burger twice while we were in California, and I would of eaten it a third time too!

Worth mentioning is the sandwich shop called Gherkins.   

We ate at the Gherkins on the coast in Montara.

Gherkins Sandwich Shop Logo
Feast your eyes on their garlic fries.  

As good as any I've ever had, one order feeds at least two.

Visiting Half Moon Bay California Gherkins Sandwich Shop, Bliss-Ranch.com

Two things you should remember about me...... 

#1, if I order a soda I want it over ice - always! - never directly out of the can or bottle, and #2, I want it with a straw to drink it from.

You should also know that my family corrects me when I say soda - in the midwest it's pop.

Anyway, the lunch rush depleted the Montara Gherkins of both ice and straws, but an employee went and bought ice to save the day and if you put two coffee stirrers together you can make a sufficient straw.

Visiting Half Moon Bay California Gherkins Sandwich Shop, Bliss-Ranch.com

And the sandwich?  Excellent.  

I had the Californian which included avocado, and the sandwiches are served with the cutest little dill gherkins.  I don't remember what Brawn had, I was too busy stuffing my sandwich in my own mouth to worry about his.

On our last two trips to Half Moon Bay we have eaten sandwiches at two different shops, the other being The San Benito Deli, and both times each place served a sandwich that was big enough for two meals.  

I've concluded that Minnesota has no great sandwich shops or at least I've never eaten at them.  If anyone knows of one, let me know and I'll compare.

We also ate at the harbor in El Granada which has the best place to get fish and chips. 

Barbara's Fishtrap has all the foods you would expect to eat at the ocean, but we stuck with fish with fries.  

Visiting Half Moon Bay California Barbaras Fishtrap, Bliss-Ranch.com

There are three big pieces which each order, I was good for two of them.  

HEY, wait a minute, maybe there were four pieces?  I thought I ate two.  I gave one to Brawn and we took one home.  Or did I only eat one?  They either gave me one too many or I didn't count right.

No visit to Half Moon Bay in October would be complete without mentioning pumpkins.  

People flock there for the Pumpkin Festival, and I hear tell the traffic that weekend is awful.  We visit for other reasons, and this year we were given a task.... find 10 cheap pumpkins - cheap on the coast being not over five bucks - and ask if they give a discount if buying ten.

Visiting Half Moon Bay California Pumpkin Patch, Bliss-Ranch.com

That may or may not be my husbands azz in the top of the photo.  

The price at the grocery stores was $5.99 and one stand was selling pumpkins the size of the largest we came home with for $25 bucks each.  I don't know, maybe that stands' owners are crazy? 

We called the local pumpkin patch, which turns out is the Hallmark store called the Pumpkin Patch, and asked how much their pumpkins were.  The lady told me they don't have any pumpkins but calls like mine happen all the time, then she directed me to a place where all the pumpkins are five bucks.  

We headed there and loaded ten pumpkins in a wheelbarrow for a fifty dollar total.

Visiting Half Moon Bay California Pumpkin Patch, Bliss-Ranch.com

I asked for a discount and the pumpkin boss told me they don't give discounts, so I said, ok, since I am buying ten, how about throwing one in for free?.  She said she could do that.  

Don't tell her giving one free is like giving a discount, and the $5.00 pumpkins now cost $4.50 each.

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festical Box, Bliss-Ranch.com

Last year I turned an old pine box into a Half Moon Bay keepsake that holds flowers in my stairway.  I think of my BFF every time I walk by it.

Half Moon Bay is a fun place to visit, but there is really only one reason I go back again and again, and I miss her every.single.day.
 





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9 comments :

  1. You were just north of my stompin' ground. Sounds like you two had a great time. What would a vacation be without great food? In-N-Out burgers are the best, aren't they? Unfortunately, we have one here in town. Unfortunately, I must eat there often.

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  2. Yummy on those food photos. I love Northern Cali..we never did get to In N' Out burger though!! Those garlic fries...umm yes please!

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  3. What a fun trip! I've never been to California and would love to one day. I've heard about that In and Our Burger place as being super good. The place that is good here is Five Guys. It's no surprise that California has good food though. Glad to hear that your were able to spend some time with your daughter.

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  4. Fun trip and food! And in my area, we just call pop (or soda) coke - doesn't matter if it's diet, or if it's even a Coke, but it's a coke. Our DJ at a local radio station even took a recent poll on FB to see what people call it. It's definitely a regional thing. Love the discount story. :)
    Rita

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  5. Spend as much time with her as you can...I miss my Hoop so much. You should link to the post you wrote for me on burgers...people thought that was hilarious!

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  6. I wish I had a burger right now! Have a great weekend!

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  7. You should have let Betsy and I know you were coming! We would have eaten at In n Out with you. My oldest worked at our local In n Out for 2 years until she left for college recently. I haven't eaten there since. Maybe that was a good thing for me.....
    Have not been down to Half Moon Bay in ages, thanks for the wonderful highlights. Love the food recomendations. I am really sorry there is no decent sandwich place in Minnesotta, mabye for your next project, that is what you do, open a sandwich shop! "Blissful" sandwiches. haha.

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  8. I miss Northern California SOOOO much - thanks for the photos. I want a good burger and garlic fries!!

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  9. I've yet to eat at In and Out Burger, but oh, I will one of these days. Yep I grew up saying pop and still do. How fun that you were able to visit your bff. It must have been nice to go home, or closer to it and I still love your Half Moon Bay crate. Now you'll have this recent trip to remember whenever you look at in on your porch;-)

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